Government announces animal cruelty sentences will be increased to up to 5 years

Animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports has welcomed the announcement by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, that animal abusers could face tougher sentences for animal cruelty, with plans to increase penalties from six months to up to five years in prison.

With dog fighting given a specific mention in the Defra release on the announcement, the League is pleased to see government recognition that dog fighting is a significant animal welfare issue in the UK.

Philippa King, Acting CEO of the League Against Cruel Sports said:

“Alongside other animal welfare charities we’ve been campaigning for more appropriate sentencing for animal cruelty for some time, so it’s excellent news that the government has listened to the people who are dealing with this on the front line.

“Our work on dog fighting has opened the eyes of many people who felt this despicable cruelty had disappeared. It hasn’t. There are people in this country who find it either enjoyable or profitable to force dogs to attack each other, and the law at the moment is a pitiful deterrent. If these proposals lead to five year jail sentences for those involved in dog fighting, this will be a massive step forward.

“Sentencing isn’t the only solution though – at the moment people can spend a few months in prison then emerge to go back to abusing animals. We need to stop that from happening, which is why we want to see a register of animal abusers available to police and those who re-home animals. If we’re going to stop these people, we need to stop them properly.”

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Positive measures to protect animals have been announced by the government today. The Animal Welfare Bill 2018 includes an increase in sentencing for animal abuse from a maximum of six months jail to five years, and also states that animal sentience must be recognised in any future laws.

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Positive measures to protect animals have been announced by the government today. The Animal Welfare Bill 2018 includes an increase in sentencing for animal abuse from a maximum of six months jail to five years, and also states that animal sentience must be recognised in any future laws.

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As a team, we share the same passion – to stop animal cruelty in the name of sport. We are a tight knit team and we work hard within a fun, relaxed environment. We also offer something many employers don’t – an office full of friendly dogs!

Hunting was banned in England and Wales in 2004, but the law has never been properly enforced, and attempts to weaken or repeal it continue. The hunting law in Scotland is weak, and hunting is still legal in Northern Ireland.

Hurting and killing animals for ‘sport’ is one of the principal causes of animal cruelty in the UK: tens of millions suffer and die each year for ‘leisure’ activities. We’re here to protect those animals.

Bullfighting is perhaps the most well known spectator “sport” involving the killing of animals for entertainment. It has already been banned in most countries, but each year tens of thousands of bulls are maimed, tortured and killed for entertainment in Spain, Portugal, France, Colombia, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

The hidden side of greyhound racing includes dogs kept for long periods in lonely kennels, painful injuries from racing and training, illness and neglect. Shockingly, thousands of surplus dogs die or disappear every year. The League believes dogs should not suffer or die for entertainment or for the profit of the dog racing industry.

The Hunting Act 2004 is the law which bans chasing wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales – this basically means that fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting are all illegal, as they all are cruel sports based on dogs chasing wild mammals.